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Panel Discussion


Expert Panel: Building Effective Global Teams
Track 1: 9:45 – 10:45   

As the complexity of software continues to increase and the business’ tolerance for defects and management’s willingness to fund large testing efforts continues to decline, new and better ways to test must be identified.  One way to reduce cost and increase quality is to tap into a larger, more flexible pool of resources.  A global testing organization provides disparate skills at various price points and in diverse time zones enabling on-demand testing services to companies.  The benefits of such organizations are significant, but there are also many management challenges.  The planning, mobilization, and operation of global test organizations requires meticulous management of expectations among test service buyers and providers, business sponsors, and project stakeholders.  Communication and cooperation between all these participants is critical to the success of a global test organization. This expert panel will address these and other issues related to establishing and managing a global testing team.

On the Panel...
Moderator: Mike Ennis, Accenture
Yolonda Davis-Kennedy, Wellpoint
Bernd Haber, Accenture
Dawn Knesek, BP
Richard Lay, PepsiCo


About the moderator….

Mike Ennis is a Senior Manager in Accenture’s Technology practice specializing in planning and executing testing efforts.  Mike has a deep technology and testing background and has led numerous test teams both on and off-shore.  Additionally, Mike has conducted test assessments, created process improvement initiatives, test strategies, test plans, and has led execution efforts at various clients.  He has over 19 years of experience with all phases of testing.  Mike is a Certified Software Quality Analyst, a Certified Foundation Level Tester, and a respected speaker, mentor, and coach at large, international software testing conferences.  Mike also drives Accenture’s Global Certification Program.


About the panelists...


Yolonda Davis-Kennedy, Wellpoint
Yolonda Kennedy is a testing architect with over 12 years of experience in leading quality and testing initiatives.  Before joining Wellpoint this year, she worked for PepsiCo for 10 years where she has held positions including Quality Assurance and Test Manager in PepsiCo’s Enterprise Test Center of Excellence.  Yolonda was a key player in developing PepsiCo’s Enterprise Test Center of Excellence and, more recently, was instrumental in helping to define PepsiCo’s managed service operating model for offshore testing.  Yolanda holds a BS in Computer Science/Mathematics and an MBA in Information Technology, as well as several testing and quality certifications.

Bernd Haber, Accenture LLC
Bernd Haber is a member of Accenture Test Services, the company’s Global Testing Practice and Testing Community of Practice. Bernd assists clients in conducting testing assessments providing total quality assurance feedback for best practices.  He also supports strategizing and implementing testing organizations, such as TCoE mobilization with corresponding business process development and execution. Bernd specializes in the field of test strategy development, process performance and quality assurance, risk-based testing, as well as test metrics and measurements.  Bernd has been with Accenture for more than 17 years and holds a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Aided Manufacturing.

Dawn McClain, Red River Solutions
Dawn Knesek McClain has over 12 years of experience specializing in ERP applications and quality assurance.  Dawn’s QA experience ranges from test analyst activities such as writing and executing test scripts to QA management responsibilities such as developing global test strategies and standards, overall test planning, test design, test execution, and reporting of testing metrics.  She has managed a variety of teams, many with a blend of consultants, company employees, and offshore testing resources.  Dawn’s projects have included a number of technologies including data warehouses, “package” applications, custom applications, middleware integration, and EDI and ERP applications including SAP, Peoplesoft and Oracle.  Dawn’s most recent testing effort was leading integration and end user testing for the U.S. on BP’s Global HCM SAP Program.  Dawn obtained her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in 2006.

Richard Lay, PepsiCo
Richard is a Sr. Manager in PepsiCo’s Enterprise Test Center (ETC) which supports all of the various PepsiCo business units, such as Frito-Lay, Quaker, Gatorade, etc. Richard led the ETC global sourcing effort which resulted in a multi-year test managed services agreement. Richard has over 20 years of IT experience including development, architecture, quality assurance, consulting and testing. Prior to PepsiCo, Richard worked for Accenture, Texas Instruments (TI), Boeing and Harris. While at TI, Richard was part of the team that led to the Defense Systems & Electronics Group, now part of Raytheon, winning the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award and achieving SEI CMM Certification. Richard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Mathematics and is ITIL certified.


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